Once Upon A Wizard
by Promised Flower
Summary: After her mother disappears and a strange magical incident, Meliora realizes that something very wrong is going on in Ingary, and the Jenkins family seems to be a target, as does Meliora herself. Eventual romance with Morgan Jenkins.
1. A Dinner Party and Minor Problems

The idea for this story came to me when I was watching some movie or other… or maybe I was reading a book… Well, whatever it was, the story starts here. It's about Meliora Lothiar and Morgan Jenkins (is it Jenkins, or Jenkins? I can't find my HMC copy).

Please excuse my grammatical errors. I do go over the document when I finish it, but I don't have much patience for that kind of thing. I'm trying to be better about it, but that takes time. Sigh

Oh, and let me know if I didn't get a name, place, or something right (as I have said, I can't find my HMC copy at the moment). Thank you!

CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and reviews are welcome!

Declaimer: I can honestly say that I do not own Howl's Moving Castle or any other book by the talented Diana Wynne Jones.

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**ONE**

_Dinner Party _

"Curse this blasted dress! I hope it turns orange with green stripes and is made into rags!" Meliora hissed. She had been trying for the better part of an hour to get herself dressed, but this complicated gown that was made far from Kingsbury and was very strange and far to detailed for Meliora's interest. It had more ties and pieces than she knew what to do with, and she was coming to the point that she wanted to just rip them off and choose another dress.

"Is something the matter, my lady?" asked a maid as she walked by Meliora's room.

Of course something is the matter! Meliora thought furiously to herself. I'm going to a dinner party that will have no one but no one there, and I shall have to talk to people I do not know, pretend to be interested in things such as horse races, spend too much time with my father, and on top of that I'm being outwitted by a foreign gown! Oh, everything is just peachy.

"I'm just having a bit of trouble with this dress," Meliora said.

"Well of course you are, lady! It's on backwards!" the maid said in astonishment.

"Is it?" Meliora asked. She didn't care if it was inside out and on sideways; she was through with the stupid thing.

"Let me help you, Miss," the maid said kindly. She probably thought that a noble woman such as Meliora Harriet Lothiar, daughter of lord Lothiar and lady Lothiar, would have not a whit of trouble with something like a fancy gown.

Meliora hesitated for a second, and then nodded. She didn't think her father would appreciate her showing up in one of her everyday cotton dresses that he despised. She would have asked her mother for help, but lady Evelia was busy with her own preparations, such as getting a gift for the host and hostess, which lord Lothiar had forgotten to do.

The maid was quick and deft at her work; she turned the dress around, threading this tie here, moving that one over there, and putting the confusing pieces on the right way. It couldn't have taken her more than ten or fifteen minutes to finish, and when Meliora looked in the mirror, she decided that she was glad the maid had offered her help. As irritating as the gown was, it was also comfortable – once it was on – and pretty. It was a fairly plain amber hued dress that matched her eyes and complimented her brown hair.

"Perhaps, my lady, you would like me to do your hair?" the maid asked.

"No, but thank you for your help," Meliora said gratefully. She didn't want to dress up any more than she had to for a dinner party. Maybe if it had been a ball...

"Very well, Miss. Oh, and a lady Alyssia Heidrun is here to see you," the maid said. "She is waiting for you in the parlor."

"Thank you, you may go," I said. The maid curtsied and left the room. Meliora took a short amount of time to put on a gold necklace and pull her hair up into a braided bun.

"Meliora!" Alyssa looked her usual beautiful self, with long, wavy blonde locks and nearly perfect features. "Aren't you excited for the dinner?" she asked, taking her friend's hands excitedly. She was nearly five inches shorter than Meliora's five feet and eight inches. Her hands were small, just like her feet, and she had a very slender frame. Meliora was almost the opposite, with feet that were rather large and with long hands.

"I suppose so," Meliora replied.

"I heard there will be several eligible young men there," Alyssia said happily, her perfect teeth showing in a dazzling smile.

Meliora smiled back, but secretly wasn't really interested. She had yet to find a young man that was interested in her, and she in him. Sure, she had had her share of feelings for men she knew, but none of them had been very serious about her. All in all, Alyssia was much more experienced in that area.

"I hear that Prince Alexander will be there, along with his sister, Princess Valeria! Too bad her sons are too young yet," Alyssia said conversationally.

Meliora opened her mouth to reply, but Alyssia interrupted, beginning to talk about her boring day with her parents and step-brother, Martin. Apparently they had a family day that none of them enjoyed much. They had gone for a carriage ride, rode horses for a while, and went out to lunch, but according to Alyssia, there was just no connection. "You know how it is, don't you? When it's meant well, but just won't work, and everyone is uncomfortable? That's what my day was like. I should talk to mother and Bram about it. He's my step-father, so it might be a bit awkward, but not nearly as bad as having to spend _more_ days like this," she said.

"I see. That's too bad, Alyssia, but I do know what you mean," Meliora replied.

In walked her mother, carrying a vase of flowers that she set on an end table in the blue parlor. "Hello, Alyssia. You and your brother are coming to the dinner, I hope?"

"I am, but I don't know about Kennard. We don't actually speak that often," Alyssia answered cheerfully.

Evelia nodded and glanced at Meliora, who simply shrugged.

"Evelia! Meliora! We're leaving in thirty minutes, and I don't want to be late!" called Sir Lothiar.

"Of course not, Edmund," Evelia called back.

Meliora gritted her teeth. It was endlessly vexing the way her father insisted on trying to order them around, as if they were servants, or property. Whenever he felt he wasn't getting what he saw as his right, his eyes bugged out and he argued and laughed at you until you either gave in or walked away. Meliora and her mother were in the habit of doing the latter, since the former always resulted in a very unpleasant experience.

"I'll see you tonight," Meliora told Alyssia, bidding her goodbye. Alyssia looked at her rather sympathetically before leaving.

"We'd better hurry," Evelia said to her daughter, smiling. Meliora nodded and followed her mother out of the room.

The ride to lord Maurus' manor was not more than twenty minutes long, but it was not pleasant. Edmund did not stop speaking the whole way, giving a detailed account of all the idiots that he was made to suffer at the hands of during his day. Then he gave his long winded opinion on every random fact that popped into his head, all the while looking as though he thought himself an expert on the subject. It made Meliora annoyed just to look at him.

She had never had a good relationship with her father, but he had made it worse by humiliating her in public on several occasions, insulting her to her face, behind her back, and in front of her friends, and several other things that Meliora did not like to think about.

"Here we are," Evelia said, interrupting a particularly dull account of something or other from her husband. "The Maurus' home looks as lovely as ever, don't you think, Meliora?" she asked her daughter.

Before Meliora could answer, her father cut in, "I must say that is it quite something to look at, but it lacks a certain aura that would give it a really spectacular appearance. If they would consider putting a few…"

Meliora didn't wait to hear the rest, but hurriedly climbed out of the carriage, not bothering to wait for the footman to help her. Thankfully she saw one of her friends heading for the manor as well, and called out to her. Evelia also jumped at the chance for a distraction, walking over to greet Mr. and Mrs. Goddard and their three children.

"Evelia, it's so wonderful to see you!" Mrs. Goddard said sunnily. She was a short, somewhat plump woman, but made you feel welcome with one look.

"You as well, Allanah," Evelia said warmly, walking to join her friend.

"How's it going, Mel? Carriage ride much fun?" asked Sariah was a pretty girl with silky raven locks and large, dark eyes. She was delicate looking, but could be quite tough when she wanted to be.

"It was exactly as I expected it to be," Meliora said with a sigh.

"You do live farther away than I do," Sariah said slowly.

"Mmm," was all Meliora said. She tried to refrain from telling others what her father was like, especially about the nastier, greedier side of him. She was sure that half of Ingary knew, but she wasn't going to be the one going around and spreading things about anyone.

While they talked the two families passed through the large oak doors of the Maurus mansion and into their impressively large front hall that contained a number of priceless looking art pieces and tapestries; Meliora thought it was rather impressive.

"A bit too gaudy, I think," Edmund said to Mr. Goddard, who listened politely. "If you ask me, they should add a few of those…"

Meliora turned her attention away from her father, not wanting to listen to him talk anymore at that moment. Luckily they had just reached the double doors that led into the ballroom, and they were announced and allowed to join the throng at the bottom of a wide, short staircase. Meliora and Sariah quickly walked over to where Alyssia was entertaining several young men, all of whom were laughing at something she had just said, her own musical giggles joining them.

"Oh, Sariah, Meliora! How wonderful to see you! I was beginning to think you wouldn't come," Alyssia said.

"So what happened then, Alyssia?" asked a red haired youth who was gazing at her with longing. Meliora resisted rolling her eyes.

"Well, I was quite frightened, but then a voice in my head told me to be brave and cross the room, which I did, and let the creature out! I just barely managed to keep myself from fainting straight away!"

"How awful!"

"Truly frightening."

"How did you manage, my lady?"

"I'm very brave when I have to be," Alyssia explained.

Just as Meliora was about to ask Alyssia what kind of creature had attacked her, a voice interrupted, saying, "All that fright over a mouse?"

Turning quickly, Meliora caught sight of a very handsome young man in a deep blue dress suit, with longish sleeves. His hair was jet black and reached just past the tips of his ears, and hung a little less than an inch away from his grey-blue eyes.

Luckily Alyssia misunderstood his comment and nodded vigorously. "Yes, it was a very large one. I can't handle anything that crawls, creeps, or slithers."

"It can be terribly frighting," the young man said.

As if she was just seeing him, Alyssia's face melted into her flirtatious smile, and she turned her charm full force on the black haired man. "And who are you?" she asked softly, putting a small hand on her large opal necklace.

The young man bowed. "Morgan Jenkins," he responded.

Alyssia gasped, and with good reason. He was the son of Sorcerer Jenkins. "_Are_ you?" Alyssia asked with interest, blinking her eyes prettily.

Meliora wondered how anyone could fathom doing that in public. Morgan seemed to be thinking the same thing, for he gave a short laugh and excused himself.

"That went well, didn't it?" Sariah giggled as Alyssia hurried off in pursuit of the young wizard.

"Alyssia is determined," Meliora agreed.

Meliora spent the hour or so wandering around the room, visiting the food tables, and chatting with several acquaintances about nothing. All in all it was what she had expected. She was not without entertainment, however; Alyssia could be seen frequently at the side of Morgan Jenkins, who seemed to be trying his best not to look as irritated as he felt. Meliora couldn't blame him.

"Mel! Look who I found," Sariah said excitedly as she battled her way through a crowd of happily gossiping people. Meliora turned around and saw a young man with dark blonde hair and a long face following Sariah.

"Why, James Suliman! I thought you were visiting the neighboring countries with your friend Alexander," Meliora teased. James had been going on for weeks about how exciting the trip was going to be, but the trip had been cut short on Alexander's orders.

James gave Meliora a wry look. "Actually, we were, but Alexander insisted on being here when his sister gave birth. You know that Valeria is pregnant, don't you?"

"Of course we do, silly," Sariah said, exasperated, "Who doesn't? I hope she has a girl. Honestly, _I_ wouldn't want to have nothing but boys."

"What's wrong with boys?" James demanded, mock serious.

"They're loud, immature, egotistical, and generally smelly," Sariah said, ticking the items off on her fingers.

"Contrary tonight, aren't we?" James shook his head.

Meliora smiled; those two were something. "Have you seen Wizard Jenkins' son yet?" she asked James.

"Yes, I have. We're cousins, you know," James told her.

"You're not!" Sariah looked surprised, as did Meliora.

"We are. His father married my mother's sister. Didn't you know that her maiden name is Hatter?" James asked.

"I don't think we did," Meliora said thoughtfully.

"Well, it is, and Sophie Hatter married Howl Jenkins, and that's how we're related," James explained.

"Doesn't seem to be a good night for any of the Jenkins family, does it?" Sariah said, gesturing to her left. It appeared that Wizard Pendragon was being cornered by some dignitary or other, and was looking very uncomfortable.

"Aunt Sophie says he's a slitherer outer," James commented.

"I wish him luck," Meliora muttered.

"How many children do your aunt and uncle have, James?" Saria asked curiously.

"Uncle Howl and Aunt Sophie have eight children with the ninth on the way," he said, glancing over to where his ginger haired aunt was talking with princess Valeria. It appeared they were talking about something to do with childbirth from the way they kept gesturing to their middles. "And Uncle Michael and Aunt Martha have nine with twins on the way," James finished.

"Wow. So four brothers and sister with practically twenty cousins," Sariah murmured. "I cannot believe that I didn't connect you with Howl Jenkins."

Neither can I, thought Meliora to herself.

"Well, frankly, you should have. My mother, father, aunts, and uncles, not to mention most of my cousins, are among the most powerful wizards around," James said proudly.

"That explains our confusion," Meliora teased him. She knew that he was nearly as powerful as his father, who was a Royal Wizard of Ingary, .

"I don't believe I shall talk to you tonight, Meliora," James sniffed, taking Sariah's arm and huffing off.

"Be that way!" Meliora called after him, laughing. She knew he just wanted to spend time alone with Sariah. Deciding that she could do with a bit more of the plum juice that was being served, Meliora made her way over to the refreshment table.

"So how long have you been a wizard?" Meliora heard a high, twittering voice ask. Alyssia. Turning, she saw that it was indeed her friend, and that Alyssia was still tormenting the young Mr. Jenkins. She stifled a laugh when he lowered his eyebrows in concern for Alyssia's mental health.

"Since I was born," he said slowly, clearly wondering how on earth she thought anyone could _learn_ to possess magical powers.

"How very fascinating," Alyssia gushed.

Thinking that now would be a good time to avoid the two of them, Meliora began to walk away, but was thwarted in her escape attempt by Morgan Jenkins saying loudly, "Ah, my next dancing partner. Excuse me, I've promised," and hurrying over to Meliora.

"Excuse me?" she said as he took her arm and whirled her onto the dance floor.

"I know I'm a bit late, but you'll forgive me won't you…?" he paused and whispered, "What is your name?"

"Meliora," she replied.

"Yes, sorry about the delay, Meliora," he continued. Then, flashing a handsome smile at Alyssia said, "Perhaps I'll dance with you next, but… Ah! Alexander, how good to see you! You know Alyssia, don't you?" He hurriedly pointed her out to his royal friend before twirling Meliora into the dance. It was a spirited gavotte, so they couldn't talk much, but when it switched to a slower dance, Meliora caught her breath enough to begin giving the wizard a scolding.

"That was very tricky of you, Mr. Jenkins. You should be ashamed, but I can't imagine you would be."

"I'm afraid you are correct, but my excuse is a long period of time spent with my father. If you doubt me, ask Mother," Morgan Jenkins said calmly, twirling her around.

"I might just do that," Meliora threatened, but couldn't help being a bit amused.

Simply shrugging, the wizard spun her away from him and back again, as the dance required.

"I suppose you do that with most young ladies," Meliora said conversationally.

"No, only the ones that seem to be frighteningly taken with me," Morgan Jenkins said a bit absently as he untangled one of his long sleeves from his arm that had become caught on their last twirl.

"It is _so_ nice to know that you're humble," Meliora said sweetly.

"And that you are a pleasant conversationalist," Morgan said, just as innocently.

"Just because you can make a rabbit come out of a hat you don't have the right to snub others," Meliora said cheerfully.

"I do a great deal more than rabbits, Miss," he returned good naturedly.

"Like what? Conjure llamas?"

"Hardly ever; I'm allergic, you see."

"How inconvenient for you, sir."

"Quite."

Suddenly the dance ended and Morgan Jenkins was bowing and walking away through the crowd. Too bad, Meliora thought, he was fun to talk to.

Too soon the dinner was over and it was time to leave. She said goodbye to Alyssia, and Sariah, promising to call on them soon. She also bid farewell to James, who was swaying on his feet from a little too much sweet wine. "You're as drunk as a two legged goat," Meliora told him as means of a goodbye.

"It was a fine affair," Edmund said as he and his family drove away in their carriage.

"It was," Meliora said.

Evelia simply nodded.

Despite having had an unexpectedly good time, Meliora was glad to be back home and in her own bed. It was half past midnight, and she was tired, sleepy, and comfortable under her covers. "Goodnight, Sylvester," she whispered sleepily to her calico cat, who was snoring at the bottom of her bed.

"Meliora?"

"Yes, Mama?" Meliora said, sitting up.

"Did you have a good time, darling?" Evelia asked as she entered the room and sat near the footboard of the bed.

"Surprisingly yes, Mama. I was glad to see James and Sariah, and Alyssia's antics were entertaining," Meliora said with a smile.

"Good," Evelia murmured, seeming to be deep in thought.

"Is something wrong, Mama?" Meliora asked a bit worriedly.

"I don't think so, but…" Evelia paused, and then shook her head. "Nevermind. Get a goodnight's rest. I love you, Meliora."

"I love you too, Mama."

With a goodnight hug and kiss, Evelia left.

Wondering what that was all about, Meliora fell into a light sleep, dreaming of grey-blue sparks floating around a garden and two legged llamas chewing on radishes.

Morning came much too early, and Meliora was forced to wake up as the sun shone brightly through her window. Moaning, she got out of bed and dressed herself, and then made her way downstairs.

"Good morning, Mama, Father. Did you sleep well last…?" she trailed off at the sight the servants as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. They were all pale, and staring at her as if she was a ghost.

"What's going on?" Meliora asked, feeling fear creep into her as she looked at their faces.

"Hasn't your father told you, Miss?" asked a maid nervously.

"No…"

"You're mother has gone missing."


	2. Sparks and a Funeral

Yay! This is my second chapter. Thank you to Tairona for being my first reviewer, and a big help!

Sorry, this chapter won't have many characters from HMC in it, but I'll try really hard to include more in the upcoming chapters. Just bare with me for a bit.

The rest of Howl and Sophie's children are introduced by name, and some of the names are a bit odd, so you pronounce them:

Tomos – Thomas

Lowri – Laurie

Alis – Alice

Peder - Peter

You may already know how to say the names, but I know I would have some trouble, even though I tried to pick easy Welsh names (most of which are all consonants), so if you have questions about how to pronounce something, let me know.

Please read, review, and give constructive criticism (if you want, or I'll just settle for a review). 

**CHAPTER TWO**

"You poor thing! To think of your mother leaving you and your father," twittered Baroness Helga, her chubby cheeks giggling as she spoke. She put a pudgy hand on Meliora's shoulder and looked at her mournfully through her false lashes and heavy eye paint.

It was the afternoon, and for some reason that Meliora could not guess, many of their friends and acquaintances were at their manor. It was not as if her mother had died. But the manner of Evelia's departure bothered Meliora greatly. Why would she leave her family, her daughter, behind? There was something not right about it, of that much Meliora was certain.

"I do not think my mother left of her own volition, Baroness," Meliora began, but was interrupted as her father walked up and took his daughter's hand. Meliora pulled away. It was bad enough to have everyone they knew visiting them in their time of distress, but it was worse to have her father pretend that he actually cared.

"Oh, lord Lothiar, how dreadful to see you on such an occasion as this," Baroness Helga said mournfully.

"Thank you for your condolences, Baroness," Edmund replied sadly. Meliora didn't believe that he was upset.

"If there's anything that I can do for you, let me know at once," the lady gushed.

"Of course, Baroness."

"And to think, she died at the tender age of… how old was lady Evelia?" the baroness asked.

"But she didn't…" Meliora started, but stopped when her father cut in.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, and we will miss her very much," her father said solemnly.

"Mother didn't die! She disappeared! I heard you say so yourself, and the servants told me the same," Meliora said, wondering if her father had lost his wits.

Baroness Helga looked at Meliora, seemingly concerned for her mental health. Lord Lothiar cut in smoothly. "My daughter is very distressed by her mother's sudden parting. It will take time for her to accept it."

"Yes, of course," the baroness said, still unsure.

Meliora stared at the pair of them. What was wrong with them? The servants themselves had told her that morning that Evelia had vanished without a trace. Had they lied to her? No, she was sure they hadn't.

"I will see you at the funeral, I trust?" Lord Lothiar asked.

"Of course! I will be there to mourn the passing of such an accomplished lady, mother, and wife. To be so young and to die, it is nothing short of tragic," the baroness said sorrowfully.

Meliora wished she would go away so that she could interrogate her father. She ended up excusing him and herself and leading over to a corner.

"That was rude, Meliora. You know what I think of social gatherings and how they should be conducted. Most people don't observe the details, as I do, but that is not an excuse. One must be slightly distant, conversational, and…"

"Why would you tell everyone that mother is dead?" Meliora demanded angrily, her amber eyes flashing.

"You are a simpleton," her father snapped. "How would it look if she vanished? Like she ran off is what. I cannot have my reputation tarnished in such a way. To keep up one's reputation, one must…"

"You lied to everyone!" Meliora interrupted furiously.

"Would you rather they consider her a disgrace?" he asked.

"No! But to tell them such a falsehood… what about when Mother returns?"

"She will not return. No one who has done what she comes back, Meliora. You must know this," Edmund said condescendingly.

"I don't believe you," Meliora said, crossing her arms over her stomach.

"And I don't care. As of this morning my marriage was legally dissolved, and she was declared dead. You are half an orphan, and I am a widower."

"You can't just…"

"I can, and I have," he snapped, and then, quieter, "Go upstairs and change into a mourning gown; we must prepare for the funeral."

Trying not to scream in frustration, Meliora asked, "What about a body?"

"The casket will be closed. You could not bear to see your mother in her state of death," Edmund said calmly.

"How can you do such a thing? She will come back, and then you will be exposed as the liar you are!" Meliora whispered furiously.

"Dream all you like, daughter, but this is reality. I suggest you accept it, as I have," Edmund told her, "Do you think I like thinking that my wife has left me? No. But I will deal with what is real, and not fantasy." He walked off to greet someone or other who had just walked in the door.

Meliora walked up to her room to change as her father had commanded, numb from their conversation. Her world was being turned upside down, and nothing seemed to be able to stop it. She knew he father was less than caring, but this? She could not say that she expected him to be so… she didn't have a word for it.

Rummaging through her wardrobe unthinkingly, Meliora picked out a black dress trimmed with a bit of black lace and put it on. Walking over to her mirror, she peered at herself thoughtfully. She saw a young woman whose face was drawn with worry, and eyes that were too bright from shock. Nothing made sense at the moment.

On an impulse, Meliora made her way into her mother's bedroom and looked around. Everything was as it had been the day before, and no sign of a struggle was evident. "Mother, why did you leave me?" Meliora whispered into the silence of the room. She felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks. She wiped them away angrily. Her mother was not dead, just missing. Evelia wouldn't leave her daughter willfully… she wouldn't!

Walking slowly, she made her way to the window and looked out. The day was gray, reflecting the mood in the house. Something stung her hand as she rested in on the window sill. She looked down and, to her surprise, saw a small ball of what looked like pink sparks. It was dim, and had she not practically squashed it, she would never have noticed it.

"What in the world…?" Meliora picked it up carefully. The sparks whirled around in circles, and the ball felt a bit sharp and poked her when she was not careful. "What is it?" she whispered to herself.

Suddenly the spark ball exploded, Meliora ducked, and the sparks scattered light across the room, and sending sparks bouncing off the walls and ceiling. The light intensified steadily until Meliora was sure she would go blind, and then it all disappeared, save a small circular section in front of her. She looked at it carefully, ready to snap her eyes shut should the light become blinding again.

Out of the blob of light came… her mother's voice. "Meliora," it said softly, making the girl jump with surprise.

"Mother?" she murmured, rising from the ground and carefully moving toward it.

"My darling daughter, when you find this I shall be long gone. I cannot tell you why or where I am going, but know this: I love you and would never leave you willingly. I do not know if I will return. However, I think you need to know that I am a witch, and that you have magic running through your veins. Your father will not take this news well, and I don't think it would be a good idea to tell him any of this.

"Please understand that I don't want to do this, but that I have to. I won't be able to talk to you again… I don't know how long…" the voice seemed to be choking back tears. "I love you, Meliora." With that the face disappeared along with the light blob.

"Mother!" Meliora cried, reaching toward the spot the light had been. Lowering her head in sorrow, she saw a white pendant in the shape of a key attached to a long white chain. Picking it up carefully, Meliora studied it. It looked like the one in her mother's jewelry box. To make sure that it was, she crossed the room and opened the mahogany box. There was a key inside that was much smaller, about half the size of her pinky finger, and was silver, not white. Looking down at the necklace in her hands, Meliora was sure it was important, but for what she had not a clue.

"Meliora, come down; the funeral procession is beginning," her father called.

"Yes, Father," she returned, slipping the necklace over her head and hiding it under her gown. If her mother didn't want Edmund to know about her magic, it was doubtful that he should know about the pendant either.

As what her mother had said sunk in, Meliora felt as though she had just stumbled. Magic. Meliora had magic. Shaking her head, she couldn't help but be dubious about it. From what she had heard of it, Magic was flashy and surely would have shown up in her before now.

She heard her father calling to her again, and decided that whatever the case was, it would have to wait until she attended her mother's funeral. Meliora wondered if her mother would be there in disguise, but doubted it. However, if she, Meliora, was thought to be dead, _she_ would want to go to her own funeral. It would be interesting, certainly.

"What took you so long? We are going to be late. Do you have any idea how that would look?" her father hissed at her as she descended the last of the long staircase.

"I have no idea, apparently," Meliora said sweetly.

"Don't take that tone with me," her father said in a low voice, conscious of the people around them.

Meliora turned away and walked out the door, quickly making her way to the carriage that was to carry them to the church and then to the cemetery. She didn't look up when her father got in next to her, or when the carriage began to roll away. Staring at her house that was receding in the distance, Meliora wondered what things would be like without her mother around. The thought made tears spring to her eyes. She wiped them away quickly; her father would make fun of her if he saw.

Evelia was the best mother anyone could have, in Meliora and several other people's opinion. Meliora loved the times they would play dress up when she was younger, make mud pies after it had rained, play outside when it was raining, but not a thunder storm, and talk about anything together. She trusted her mother completely and without hesitation, but her father… Meliora wouldn't trust him as far as she could throw the horse pulling the carriage. She _couldn't_ trust him after what she knew he had done.

Looking over at her father, Meliora remembered the morning she had been woken up by yelling. It turned out that her father had wanted to divorce her mother because of another woman that he was seeing. Mother begged him not to do that to their daughter, and he said that she would not care. Meliora also remembered all the times he had returned from work to complain of the idiots he had to work with, and all the times he had done terrible things to other people. There had been two brothers whom he had pitted against each other, and laughed when their relationship got grew to hatred.

"What are you staring at?" Edmund asked grumpily.

Meliora ignored him and returned her gaze to the window. The reality of her situation was beginning to sink in, and she dreaded life without her mother. In a way she had died; she could no longer protect Meliora from her father.

No, that's not true, Meliora thought to herself, putting her hand over the key under her dress. It was as warm as her skin. She glanced back at her father and let a tear slide from an eye. He was no father. Fathers were supposed to protect their children, raise them, and fathers were kind.

The carriage pulled up to the church, and Meliora got out without waiting for the footman, not wanting to be around her father. Unfortunately he caught up with her and took her arm firmly. He gazed around the church exterior and began to criticize it, saying what should be changed about the walls, windows, yard, statues, fountains, the way the grass was cut.

"You see, if you cut it straight across it becomes stunned and won't grow properly. The correct way to trim grass is to…" he stopped as they entered the church. Meliora silently thanked the building for offering her refuge. Her father led her over to a bench at the front of the room where the Lower Court Chancellor stood wearing flashy robes and an uncaring expression.

"Dearly beloved of the departed, we are here to mourn the passing of an excellent mother, wife, and citizen of Ingary," the Lower Court Chancellor began in his deep, monotonous voice.

Meliora looked away to where the oak casket rested on a stand. It was, of course closed. She found that she was glad. She was afraid that she had simply imagined the message earlier and that her mother really had died. Of course, that was ridiculous.

"There is no way to ease the pain of parting with a loved one. We are only able to accept it when it comes, and to remember them as they would want to be remembered. Lady Evelia Lothiar was one of the most graceful and lovely people we knew," droned the Chancellor. Meliora doubted he had ever seen her mother even once.

Finding her thoughts wandering as the Chancellor went on… and on, and on… Meliora began to observe the others in the room. To her shock she saw Prince Alexander and his family. Even the King! Meliora was touched that they would attend, even if it was a fake funeral. She knew her mother had been a very distant cousin of the king, and despite being so distantly related, was very caring toward them.

Meliora started as she caught herself referring to her mother in the past tense. She corrected herself firmly and began to think about the time that her mother had taken her horseback riding and they had gotten completely lost. Both of them were directionally challenged. The thought made her smile.

"We must console the grieving family," the Chancellor said loudly. Meliora turned around quickly and found that he was glaring at her, as was her father. She realized that she must have seemed very uninterested, even to the point of rudeness, especially. She lowered her head and pretended to grieve, putting a hand over the key under her gown for reassurance that her mother was alive, and not in that horrible wooden coffin. When it was her time to die, Meliora wanted her casket to be decorated. Perhaps with flowers, fairies, elves, and other things that would suggest life. She would rather people think of her life than her death.

Silence fell over the room, and Meliora looked up. The Chancellor had stopped speaking and was crossing the room to the double doors that lead to the cemetery. Her father took her hand, and she pulled away. Then he took her elbow with an almost painful grip and led her out.

A somber song played as they made their way outside after the casket, the attendees, and the Chancellor. Others in the room filed out, their eyes respectfully downcast. Meliora closed her eyes and pretended that she was at home, in the garden, making her way to see her mother so that they could go riding, or visit a friend, anything.

The ceremony at the grave was shorter than Meliora thought it would be, and soon she found herself nodding as person after person filed past her and her father to give their condolences. The only people she paid attention to were the King, the Queen, the Prince, the Princess and her children, and, to her surprise, most of the Jenkins family. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins were there, along with – she tried to remember their names – Bran, Lowri, Trystan, Peder, Alis, Tomos, and Eira Jenkins, who were all wonderful, which surprised Meliora a bit, considering all the rumors she had heard about Wizard Pendragon. She still didn't know why he called himself that even after everyone knew what his name was. Other than those few people and some genuine friends of her mother's, it was all uninterested and bored landowners. It took all of Meliora's self control not to run away, so she simply imagined herself far away from the church graveyard.

At her feet was a small purple flower. She didn't know what it was called. It looked so light, so… alive, and free. Meliora watched it sway in the gentle breeze, its tiny petals dancing. Once someone almost stepped on it, and she nearly scolded them for it, catching herself just in time.

"Poor dear, we feel so deeply for you," Baroness Helga said dramatically. She was the one who almost squashed the flower.

Looking up, Meliora was startled by the woman's appearance. She was, if possible, wearing more makeup than before, her cheeks and lips an unnatural red, and her hair was done up in an elaborate swan style. Standing at Baroness Helga's right was a young man a little older than Meliora, with white-blonde hair, gray eyes, and a gloomy looking face. Next to him was a younger girl, perhaps about fifteen, with the same hair color, and black eyes. Her gaze seemed to pierce through Meliora as she held the girl's gaze.

"Yes," Meliora began slowly, not knowing what one was supposed to say at such times, "Um, thank you for coming."

"We wouldn't dream of keeping away, would we, Evan?" The Baroness asked the young man.

The young man looked at Meliora without any interest, nodded, and then turned away. He seemed bored with the whole proceeding.

The girl gave a slight curtsy and said, "I am very sorry for your loss, lady Meliora," and stared at her with large, dark eyes.

Meliora returned the girl's curtsy and murmured her thanks.

"Rosalba was devastated to learn of your mother's death," Baroness Helga said, "for she has a very tender heart."

Looking at the younger girl, Meliora had trouble believing that. Rosalba was standing with a peculiar look on her face, as if she was reading Meliora like a book. The thought made her irritated, and she was glad when the baroness and her children moved on to her father.

Finally the line was finished, and Meliora was able to walk away unnoticed. She decided that she didn't want to attend the luncheon that her father had planned back at the manor. Instead she took a walk around the spacious grounds of the church, looking at several grave markers and wondering what the lives of the people had been like.

Hearing footsteps, Meliora looked up and saw Sophie Jenkins coming toward her. "How are you, dear?" she asked when she was close enough.

Meliora looked at her. She was really quite pretty, and had a friendly face.

Sophie wrinkled her nose and snorted, surprising Meliora. "What a stupid question to ask," she muttered to herself, a hand on her swollen belly and looking at Meliora with concern.

"I…" Meliora didn't know how she was doing. _I won't be able to talk to you again … I don't know how long…_ The words ran through her head, and the full impact of them reached her. Until now she hadn't allowed herself to think about her mother not being with her, and it hurt. Tears began to fall silently down her cheeks, her breath catching in her throat. Meliora tried to wipe the drops away, but they came to fast. Opening her mouth to apologize for her behavior, the only thing that came out was a great, whooping breath that led the way for her sobs.

Without a word Sophie reached out and folded Meliora into a warm hug, letting her cry hard on her shoulder for a long time. When, finally, she ran out of tears, Meliora tried to apologize for getting Sophie's dress wet, but the older woman silenced her.

"Don't be silly. You need to cry, and I doubt you've had the chance, or that your father would let you." Sophie growled the last part, and then realized what she had said. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No," Meliora said, drying her eyes on a handkerchief that Mrs. Jenkins had given her, "you're right about him."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"As am I," said a deeper voice. Both women looked up, startled, and saw Meliora's father standing a little ways off, watching them.

That's all for this chapter! Let me know what you think (even though this is one of the more boring ones, in my opinion, but it had to be done).

Tairona: I'm glad you liked the first chapter! And thank you for pointing out my mistakes. Also, I have found my copy of HMC, never fear! And as far as Morgan goes, he is a bit different than his father, but not _that_ different. Lol.

Heather: I don't intend to let this story go, but it is nice to know that you want to read more. Thanks!

Fairy Eva: I completely agree that Howl's Moving Castle is wonderful! I'll try to update as frequently as I can.


	3. Apple Turnovers and a Scheme

The third chapter is finally done! I'm very sorry that it took so long. First my computer ate it, then I was at my dad's (and will be again very soon) so I couldn't work on it, then I had a huge anatomy test to study for.

This chapter was actually part of the next one, but it go too long, so I split them. That means this chapter is devoid of plot. Sorry.

Okay, done ranting. On with the story! (Is H. Jenkins Fresh Flowers Daily in Market Chipping? I can remember, and my HMC book has vanished again due to the extensive renovations going on in my house.)

Declaimer: Howl's Moving Castle belongs to the very talented Diana Wynne Jones, and I am not making a cent off of it.

* * *

CHAPTER THREE

"I'm disappointed that you think so little of me, Meliora," Edmund said, glaring coldly at his daughter. His gaze shifted to the ginger haired, pregnant woman who stood next to Meliora. "And I would appreciate it, Mrs. Pendragon, if you would kindly go away," he practically snarled. Meliora knew that he had very little patience for women like Sophie or Evelia.

Sophie snorted and crossed her arms, glaring right back at Edmund. "I'll thank you to be more polite."

"And I'll thank you to stay out of my business," Meliora's father snapped back.

Before Sophie could retort, Meliora said quickly, "Just give me a minute, father." Turning to Sophie she spoke softly. "Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins; you are very kind. I hope to see you again." Unfortunately, it was little more than a hope, since she knew her father would never let her go near any of the Jenkins family again.

"If I can do anything, don't hesitate to let me know," Sophie muttered, shooting a glare at Meliora's father. 

Meliora was very grateful for Sophie's offered help and said so, but nothing else could be discussed, for Edmund was yelling impatiently for Meliora to hurry up. Sophie gave the younger woman a reassuring look before Meliora climbed the hill to meet her father.

Edmund gave his daughter a cold glare before grabbing her arm and hauling her to their waiting carriage. 

"Let go of my arm!" Meliora cried out in pain as her father twisted her elbow. 

Without responding, Edmund threw her into the dark brown carriage and barked at the driver to move. It didn't take long to get home at the speed they were traveling at, and as soon as the horses stopped Edmund was out of the carriage, dragging Meliora with him. He pulled her roughly through the hallways and into the study, where he pushed her into a chair and turned his gaze on her. His eyes were practically popping out of his skull. It was a look that Meliora knew well.

"You are the most ungrateful, simple-minded wench I have ever known," her father told her angrily.

Meliora sat very still.

"Your idiot mother taught you nothing, and told you only lies. You do not know how fortunate we are to be rid of her," Edmund said.

"What do you mean by that?" Meliora demanded, her temper rising.

"There are things about your mother that I hope you never have to find out, Meliora," Edmund said, returning to his usual superior self. "She was not a kind woman, nor was she honest. Her life was deceit and lies, her joy the suffering of others."

"Mother isn't like that!" Meliora exclaimed.

Edmund laughed a laugh that sent shivers down Meliora's spine. "Evelia was worse than I can tell you. Ask me again when you're twenty-one."

"Why not tell me now if I've been so deceived?" Meliora snapped, crossing her arms.

"Because someone your age shouldn't have to know about those things; you'll have to trust me on this, Meliora." Edmund crossed over to his desk and lifted a large file. Holding it up, he said, "These are the papers I have on your mother's trespasses. I have so much here that I could bury her if I wished to." He laughed at the pun he had made.

Meliora didn't think it was so funny. Her mother was not buried in that coffin, and she was not dead. Why did her father insist on talking about her in the past tense?

Because he's an idiot, said a voice in her head, making Meliora smile.

"But I am not a monster, so I have not revealed any of this to anyone. You know more than any other because I think you should be aware of what a witch Evelia was," Edmund said.

"She's not dead," Meliora told him.

"I have reasons to believe otherwise, but I cannot discuss them now. I do not want you upset, Meliora, and I have no desire to hurt you," Edmund said in a pitying tone. "You are so ignorant, and you don't even know it."

If this is supposed to make me feel better, it's not working, Meliora thought, annoyed. "Then why don't you tell me what you think I should know?"

"You should be subjected to such things. I'll tell you when you're old enough."

"I'm eighteen!"

"A child," Edmund said dismissively, "I am your father, I love you, and I want what is best for you." He put the file down on his desk and crossed over to Meliora and bent down to hug her. Meliora stiffened as he put his arms around her. "My poor child, you've been so deceived. But I will take care of you. Just trust me. I love you."

Something inside of Meliora told her to be wary of her father, but she said, "I love you too," and pulled away. "I'd like to rest for a while, if you don't mind," she said quietly.

"Of course, love. I'll see you at dinner," Edmund said in a syrupy tone that Meliora assumed he thought was endearing.

She hurried to her room and shut the door, the sobs that she had been holding in already breaking free. Collapsing on her bed to cry, she thought about what her father had said. She wanted to believe him, but she didn't think she could. But why not?

Because he's never been honest before.

"What does he have on mother that is so horrible?" Meliora wondered aloud a few minutes later, her tears beginning to subside. She couldn't think of anything other than donating money when he didn't want to, changing the color of the library without his permission, and several other things that Edmund had been against. He despised change, especially when it wasn't his idea.

Suddenly Meliora remembered what he had called her. "Of course, love." When had be begun to use the term 'love'? No one in Ingary used that term.

The clock in the hall chimed the hour, and Meliora was surprised at the time. She still had things she wanted to do, like rescue some of her mother's things before Edmund could throw them out. But she was so tired. Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a moment…

The next thing Meliora knew she was waking up to her father's angry yelling. "If you let this happen again, I will personally make sure that you never work in Kingsbury as long as you are alive!" he screamed.

Meliora sat up quickly; ignoring her much wrinkled dress, she dashed for the top of the stairs and looked down. Edmund was scaring a young maid who looked like she would be timid to begin with. Sir Lothiar waved his hand at the girl, dismissing her. Meliora returned to her room, wondering what that was about, but knowing that her father would be too busy laughing at her if she was still dressed as she was now.

After changing into a light yellow dress and washing up, Meliora went searching for her father. She found him in the study going through her mother's desk.

"What was going on earlier?" Meliora asked, an accusing tone in her voice, "And why are you going through Mother's things?"

Edmund jumped at the sound of her voice and looked around guiltily. Then, seeing it was only his daughter, his features took on a sneer. "Everything in this house belongs to be, including you, Meliora."

Meliora stiffened, but pressed on. "Why were you yelling at that maid?"

"She let someone in the house that I didn't want here," Edmund said simply, "And she did so without my permission. This is my home and I will be obeyed." 

"You don't have to be a bully about it," Meliora practically scolded.

Edmund ignored her. Strolling over to the large grandfather clock in the corner, he observed its intricate carvings before speaking. "I have to do something with you now that your mother is gone. I cannot be here all the time to watch over you. You've finished your education, so the only thing left to do is… Well, I'll tend to that."

Meliora did not like the look on his face. "What are you going to do?"

Edmund did not respond, instead looking back at the clock.

Hesitating for a moment, Meliora thought over what she was going to say before she blurted out, "I was thinking about getting a job."

Her father looked up at her in surprise. "You? You'd get lost and I'd have to find you," he said.

Meliora wondered where that came from. "I've wanted to get one for quite a while, and… well, I don't plan to marry, so I need some way to…" She had been about to say that her mother was helping her find one, and that she would need a way to support herself. Meliora realized that she had no intention of staying with her father longer than she had to. But at the moment she had no money, no where to go, and no means to get there.

"What would you do with a job?" Edmund asked mockingly.

Ignoring his tone, Meliora continued, "It would give me something of worth to do, and keep me out of your hair."

"Meliora," Edmund said, once again using his syrupy voice, "I love having you with me. Actually, when your mother was here I had to work more to keep up with the bills she was accumulating, and it almost broke my heart that I could not be here with you."

"I wouldn't be gone all that much, father, only a few hours a day. You could use that time to work, and then we would spend the rest of the day together," Meliora suggested, trying to remember a time her mother bought something with Edmund's money. Nothing came to mind. Evelia had always used only what she earned from sewing fancy gowns for ladies she knew.

Edmund appeared to be thinking it through. Meliora crossed her fingers and hoped. Finally, "Very well. Look for something, and I'll decide whether or not it's appropriate for a young lady."  
Meliora restrained herself from sighing, whether in relief or from frustration she did not know. "Thank you, father. I'll begin after breakfast," she said politely. 

"I am nothing if not benevolent, daughter," Edmund said.

"Oh," was all Meliora managed to say before she fled the room.

An hour or so later she got herself together and began thinking about what she wanted to do for a living. Sooner or later she was going to leave, and she was beginning to hope for sooner. Maybe she should try being a seamstress. No, she couldn't sew very well at all. She could cook a bit, and clean, and she wasn't too bad at art. Well, she had the whole day to look around.

As she was heading out the door, the cook, Celia, asked suddenly, "Would you like to help me with these apple turnovers, Miss?"

Meliora stopped, surprised, and nodded her head.

Celia smiled a friendly smile and beckoned her over to the kitchen table where three baskets of apples lay waiting to be peeled and sliced. After giving Meliora detailed instructions on how the fruit should be cut, she went back to the stove to finish the sweet sauce for them.

Meliora spent the time peeling apples happily, glad to have something productive to do with someone she knew. 

"I heard you and the master talking about Maggie," Celia said presently, stirring the sauce. Meliora looked up in surprise and almost took her finger off with her sharp knife. She laid it down carefully as Celia spoke again. "It's not many that would stick up for a servant," Celia said, "And I can tell you on behalf of all of us that we're thankful; Maggie's a timid girl and doesn't take well to shouting."

"Well, Father was being horrible to her. I don't like it when he does that to me, either," Meliora said, scowling down at her apple slices.

Nothing more was said about Edmund as the apple turnovers were finished. Celia chatted about the kitchen gossip and several funny things people had said at the market. All too soon it was over and Meliora was thanking her and heading out the door to search for a job.

"Good luck, Miss. I think a job will be good for you; gets you out of the house and keeps you busy with something honest," Celia told her.

With a final farewell, Meliora was gone.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Edmund glared out the window, watching his daughter walk down the road and out of his sight. She was too much like her mother, and that posed a problem, especially if she was gifted in the same area's Evelia was.

"What to do with her…" he murmured thoughtfully. Suddenly an idea struck him and his face split into a nasty grin. "That will do quite nicely."


	4. Elepho

This is my fourth chapter! YAY! I know I said I'd be alternating with Where the Wind Blows, and I am. This is the rest of the third chapter. I would have put it in earlier, but my computer refused to access the internet. It's a love/hate thing with technology and me.

This chapter is on Morgan more than Meliora. I kind of got the idea for his family from my own, so you can take a peek into my home life.

NazgulGirl, please take this as a plea to be spared from a horrific death by celery.

Declaimer: HMC is not mine.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Morgan Jenkins sighed in frustration as he went over the transit spell for what seemed like the thousandth time. Running a hand through his unruly midnight hair, he tried to focus his blue-gray eyes on the sheet of paper.

_Okay, I just need to concentrate,_ he thought to himself, taking a deep breath.

"MOTHER!" someone screamed. Eira, by the sound of it.

"What is it?" Sophie's voice called back.

"Peder turned the bathtub into a HIPPO! And it won't turn back for me! And I'm DIRTY!" Nine-year-old Eira wailed as she came into sight; her gray-green eyes were blazing, and her black hair flying as she ran down the stairs.

"I did not! It's a small elephant!" Peder shouted. He was four years older than his sister, with the same black hair, but dark gray eyes.

"It's a hippo! It said so!" Eira bellowed back at him.

Morgan rubbed his temples. Why did they have to yell as if they were at opposite ends of a field when they were two feet from one another? Normally he would just tune them out, or break up the fight, but his nerves were already raw from dealing with several off-world problems he had been dealing with the past couple of days.

"Call it an elepho and get Morgan to help you," Sophie called to her children, "The couch is wandering off again."

"MORGAN!" they shouted simultaneously.

With a sigh, Morgan pushed the spell aside and decided to ask his dad about it when he got home. With Eira and Peder both arguing their points, Morgan made his way up to the bathroom to inspect the damage. As soon as he opened the door his curiousity was aroused. Sitting where the bathtub used to be was a large orange animal that resembled both an elephant and a hippo. The creature had a trunk, but no big ears, and the rest of the body was in the shape of a hippo.

"Excuse me," the creature said politely, "But I don't think this is my natural shape. I wasn't made to a hippo you know."

Morgan nodded. "You're a bathtub, or were. But you're not a hippo."

"I told you!" Peder shouted triumphantly to Eira."

"But it's not an elephant either!" Eira protested, putting her small hands on her hips.

"My name is Stanley," the creature said a bit sadly, "And I don't like the color orange." He looked down at his bright skin and sighed.

"Nice to meet you Stanley," Peder said conversationally.

Morgan frowned; he didn't want to spend an hour explaining to his little brother why bathtubs didn't make good friends, so be broke the conversation up.

"Peder, why don't you tell me what you did to get… Stanely like this?" Morgan asked, eyeing the orange creature as it peered at itself in the mirror.

"What an ugly shade of orange. I prefer magenta, don't you?" it asked its reflection.

"Morgan, would you please stop that tub from talking to the mirror and fix it so that I can take my bath?" Eira asked grumpily.

"I like him," Peder announced.

"It's a bathroom appliance," Eira said scathingly.

"But that doesn't mean I don't have feelings," Stanely sniffed, looking hurt.

"You're so rude, Eira," Peder said.

"You're the one interrupting my bath! Daddy says that hygiene is as important as chocolate cake!" Eira countered.

Morgan tried to recall hearing his father say such a thing.

"I like cake," Stanley said.

"It's not _that_ important," Peder said, disliking the talk about baths. He tried to avoid them when he could.

"It is too! Maybe even more important!" Eira told him imperiously.

"Is not!" Peder retorted.

"I once knew a sink I was very fond of," Stanley said meditatively.

"Quiet!" Morgan commanded, looking sternly at the three of them. "Now, how did you turn the bathtub…"

"Stanley," Stanley interjected.

"Stanley, into… an orange elepho?" Morgan finished.

Peder thought for a moment. "I don't remember," he said finally.

Eira sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically. "Great. Now I won't be clean by the time Daddy gets home, and then he won't let me go with Mommy to the flower shop, and it'll be all your fault!" she accused Peder.

Before another argument could start, Morgan asked Peder to think harder. Glaring at his sister, Peder complied.

"I think it was the pink powder that's at Lowri's desk," Peder said thoughtfully. "I was carrying it to my room to put under my bed, when I remembered that I left my right shoe under the sink yesterday, so I stopped in here to get it and spill some of the powder into the soapy water," he finished.

"What was in the water?" Morgan asked.

"Lavender bubbles and a bar of honeysuckle scented soap," Eira said, thinking regretfully of the nice warm bath.

_It must have reacted with the powder,_ Morgan thought. "What was the powder? Is there any left?" he asked Peder.

"Yeah, here. It stopped glowing, so it won't help me anymore," he said sadly.

Morgan examined the powder for a moment, then scooped some out of the small jar and studied it in his hand. Deciding to see if his thoughts were correct, he rubbed the pink powder between his palms and blew it at Stanley. There was a flash of orange light and wiff of lavender, and then the bathtub was back.

Eira clapped her hands excitedly and shooed her brothers out of the bathroom, telling them that she was long overdue for a bath and muttering that Stanely better close his eyes, if he had any left.

"I wish I could've kept him," Peder said regretfully as he and Morgan made their way back to the workroom.

"Dad wouldn't let you; you know how he feels about enchanted bathrooms," Morgan pointed out.

Peder nodded glumly, but a second later forgot all about Stanely as the front door opened and Howl walked in. "Dad!" Peder shouted, running to him.

"Hold on, let me put this down," Howl said, heaving a large, brown wrapped package onto a table before hugging his son. "Where's Mom?" he asked once Peder let go of him. But his thirteen year old was dashing out of sight before he heard the question, chasing after a small mouse he glimpsed.

"It's Hugh!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Morgan and Howl froze. They hoped he didn't mean Hugh Burkley from Peder's school.

"Howl?" It was Sophie. She walked in the room, a hand over her large belly and a scowl on her face. "Next time you decide to tinker with any of the furniture, make sure it doesn't get up on its own," she scolded him. "I just spent ten minutes convincing the blue couch that he was not to go wandering off."

Howl's eyes lit up at the sight of his wife. "Of course, cariad," he said absently as he crossed the room to reach her.

"No," Sophie said as he approached, "I'm still mad at you. I was napping on that couch the other day and it almost carried me right out of the house. Then before that it…"

"I give you my most humble apologies and sincerest pledge that I will never again tinker with the blue couch," Howl said solemnly as he reached his wife and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't think you can slither your way out of this, Howl Jenkins," Sophie started, but was cut off when Howl kissed her full on the mouth. Any objections or other arguments flew right out of her head as she wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss. She knew from years as the wizard's wife that if she didn't make her point before he kissed her, she wouldn't be able to make it at all.

Morgan thought it was wonderful that his parents loved each other so much, but he did wish that once in a while they would wait until he was out of the room to start making up. "Dad, when you get a chance will you give me a hand with something? The spell doesn't seem to be working properly," Morgan said headed for the kitchen. His father pulled back for a moment to say that he would, and then kissed Sophie again.

"Morgan, will you open the flower shop this afternoon?" Sophie asked, pulling back from her husband to look at her son. Howl began rubbing her belly and whispering in Welsh to his unborn child.

About to ask why, Morgan thought better of it and simply agreed. He made his way out before his parents began to get mushy again.

The store was as busy as ever, especially because they had just brought in new multi-colored shimmer flowers from the huge garden Howl had made for Sophie before they were married. Most of the customers were girls, and the majority of them were very fond of Morgan, who didn't mind at all.

"Hello, Morgan," twittered a pretty red haired girl. If Morgan recalled correctly, her name was Annabelle.

"How are you?" Morgan returned, receiving a storm a giggles from her and her friends.

"Better now that you're here," she said, batting her eyelashes.

Morgan liked the attention he got from young ladies, but he wasn't overly fond of the obsession some of the duller ones seemed to have with him. They came by the shop several times a day to see if he was there, which was good for business, but bad when he tried to serve another customer and they got jealous.

As the sun began to set, and Morgan was busy going over the figures for the day and picking out what flowers his mother would have to talk into staying fresh until the morrow, he heard the open and the little bell attached to it ring gently. Looking up, Morgan was surprised to see Meliora Lothiar. Suddenly he felt a bit guilty; while it was true that he didn't really know her, he still felt bad that he had missed her mother's funeral, even if it had been an off-world emergency.

"Hello," Meliora said with a smile. Morgan wasn't sure if she recognized him, for she greeted him as though he was just another face and went about looking at flowers.

"Can I help you find anything?" he asked.

"No, but I would like to inquire about a job," she said.

"A job?" Why would she need a job? Her father was a lord. Then again, they didn't really need the shop; Morgan and his father made enough to support the family even with Howl's incurable spendthrift ways.

"Yes, a job," she replied pleasantly.

Morgan wondered if the color of her eyes was natural; they were so gold. But she didn't know magic, and she didn't seem like the kind of person to change their natural colors.

"Are you alright?"

The question snapped Morgan out of his private thoughts. "Yes! Yes, I'm fine. I don't know if we have an opening…" he said, "I can ask. Why don't you wait here while I check?"

"Alright. I'll just look around. Are these natural flowers?"

Morgan looked at the silver-red lilies. He doubted it. Just in case he muttered the last word to a security spell on his way inside. He didn't distrust her, but that didn't mean something else wouldn't happen while he was away.

Inside the castle was bedlam when Morgan entered. Alis was chasing Trystan who had stolen her favorite scarf, Peder and Eira were arguing at the top of their voices, Lowri was waving a broom handle threateningly at Bran, and Tomos was yelling as loud as he could, determined not to be left out. In the middle of it all Howl was studying what looked like a long purple shoe sole, and Sophie was mixing a delicious smelling stew for dinner.

After making his way over to his mother, Morgan began to explain what was going on, but was interrupted when Alis turned Trystan into a bullfrog.

"Alis, you know the rules about transfiguring your siblings!" Howl shouted across the room.

Alis tried to look confused. "I've forgotten," she said innocently, tucking a ginger lock of hair behind an ear and looking at her father with her big green eyes. Even at fifteen she was a beauty.

"Do not transfigure a brother or sister unless absolutely necessary, and in the case of necessity never into any kind hopping amphibian," Howl reminded her loudly.

"Oh, so sorry," Alis said, glancing down at her now green brother. With a wave of her hand and some whispered words, Trystan was back to his blue-eyed, mud-brown haired self.

"That's it, Alis!" he said threateningly as he rose from his crouching position on the floor, "It's three foot toenails for you!"

"That's not sanitary!" Alis shouted at him. Then, with a smirk, "that means it's not clean."

"I know what it means!" Trystan bellowed at her. They took off, Trystan having the advantage of being a year older and nine inches taller than his sister.

Morgan couldn't tell what Lowri and Bran were arguing about as they switched back and forth from Welsh to English in the middle of words and sentences. As far as he could figure Bran had gotten her cat eaten by a moth ball.

"What were you saying, Morgan?" Sophie asked as she added a pinch of spice to the stew, tasted it, and licked her lips.

"I said that Meliora Lothiar is out in the shop and wants a job," Morgan repeated, his mouth watering at the smell of the food.

"What?" Sophie looked up quickly.

"Mel…"

"No, I heard you. What did you tell her?"

"I said I'd check with you," Morgan said, puzzled at his mother's reaction.

"Tell her absolutely yes. That girl needs an escape from…" Sophie began heatedly, but was sidetracked by a loud crash as Lowri send Bran crashing into the blue couch which took off in fright and knocked Alis over as Trystan was threaning her with a large hairy spider that was sent flying into the air and landed on Eira who began screaming which made Tomos yell as well.

"QUIET!" Howl shouted, a strong wind tearing through the rooms. Everyone froze, even the spider. "Let's try to get along while I sort this out for the king, shall we?" he said.

"Yes, Da," seven voices said together.

"Morgan, go back out there and give her a job," Sophie continued as thought nothing had happened.

"But what can she do?" he asked, tying to think of something that needed doing.

"Find out what she can do with flowers. If she is good at arranging them, let her do that. If you have to give her the job of picking them every morning," Sophie said.

Nodding, Morgan made his way back to the flower shop where he found Meliora intently studying a blue rose. She looked up as he came in and gave him a troubled look.

"I don't think it's supposed to do that," she said.

Morgan hurried over and discovered the rose was bleeding light blue liquid out of its stem. "What happened?"

"I don't know. It was making funny noises, so I came over to see what was going on, and it was like this," Meliora told him.

They both bent closer to the flower. Morgan was distracted as he smelled the fresh scent of apples that was coming from Meliora. He wondered if she used perfumes like his father did, or if she happened to spend a lot of time with the fruit.

"What do you think it is?" she asked.

Morgan turned back to the flower. "I don't know. It might be…"

Suddenly the thin blue line of liquid shot up into the air and wound itself around Meliora's left wrist. She gave a yelp and pulled back, but the liquid came away with her. Morgan began to motion in the air, starting a spell, but stopped as he saw there was nothing more he could do. The liquid had disappeared, leaving a pale blue tattoo behind. It wrapped around Meliora's wrist and onto her hand where it took the shape of a light blue flower of no kind Morgan had seen before.

"It… what did it do?" she whispered.

Morgan stepped forward and took her hand in his, peering intently at the markings. To his surprise, they were tiny figures that seemed to be words in another language.

"Can you read that?" he asked Meliora, indicating the markings.

"No," she said after examining them. Suddenly they faded into nothing, her hand returning to its pale flesh color. "That was… odd," she said.

Morgan was surprised that she wasn't more surprised. He began to wonder about her past. "I don't know what it was. Do you want my parents to take a look at it? Or Lowri; she's good with strange magical phenomena."

"That's alright. If it gives me trouble I'll let you know," Meliora said, looking down her hand. Morgan released her hand and walked over to the counter to find a key for her to use.

"You'll work from nine AM to three PM on week days, and weekend schedules change frequently, so I can't promise anything," he said abruptly.

"You mean I'm hired?" Meliora asked excitedly.

"Yes. You can start tomorrow. Are you any good at arranging flowers?"

"Never tried. I'll make an attempt tomorrow, though. If not I can always clean," she said happily. Morgan wondered why getting a job was so exciting for her. Maybe she was bored with lordly life and wanted some entertainment and had a thing for flowers.

"I'm sorry I missed your mother's funeral," he began hesitantly, unsure about how she would take any mention of her mother's death, "I was… detained." Detained was not the word; there had been a dimensional breech that had required his immediate attention.

"Oh, yes, well… it's fine," Meliora said, walking over to a cluster of tiny yellow blossoms, "it went… okay."

Morgan switched the subject, noticing that she looked uncomfortable. "We'll expect you here tomorrow then."

"Goodbye," Meliora said with a smile before leaving.

Morgan's mind once again returned to the spell he had been working on, and hurried to finish closing the shop before retiring to his work bench for the rest of the evening.

Meliora went home happy, and not even her father's criticism of H. Jenkins Fresh Flowers Daily could disturb her mood. She had a job, and she wouldn't have to spend every waking moment in the house that she now disliked heartily with a father who did nothing but brag about his (questionable) brilliance.

She hadn't realized that H. Jenkins would be _Howl Jenkins_ the wizard. She thought the Jenkins, or Pendragon, family lived in Kingsbury. She hadn't expected to find them in Market Chipping. Not to mention she had had a wonderful time making apple turnovers with Cook earlier in the day.

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As she curled up in her bed to go to sleep, Meliora felt happy for the first time since her mother had disappeared, even with the thought of the very long way she had to go to get to work every day. Maybe she could find a spell or something to make it faster, if she had powers at all. With pleasant thoughts and plans going through her mind, Meliora fell into a dreamless sleep.

Down several flights of stairs and behind a heavy oak door, a shadow made its way through the room, whispering and searching, plotting and scheming; it wouldn't be long, not long at all.

* * *

This chapter just kind of... came out. I didn't plan it this way at all. Actually, I didn't plan it period. I hope you liked it! I would have posted it sooner, but my internet service was about as strong as a boiled noodle for a while. 


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